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Pour Point
Table of Contents
Physical
& Chemical Properties
Pour Point is a viscosity temperature phenomenon. It is defined as
the lowest temperature at which a lubricant will flow under specified
conditions. Most lubricant suppliers give the pour point of their
oils so that the user can determine if it can be pumped and would
be fluid in low temperature applications.
The pour point increases with viscosity. For example, an ISOVG 46
mineral oil might have a pour point of -39 degree C, whereas an ISOVG
460 would have a pour point of -15 degree C. For mineral oils, the
increase in viscosity as temperature is reduced, is due to gelling
of the oil by the precipitation of crystalline wax.
Although this paper is a review of mineral oil properties, it should
be noted that one advantage of many synthetic oils is their very low
pour points because of the absence of wax. Pour point depressants
for mineral oils are additives which lower the pour point by interfering
with wax crystallization.
Pour point is measured by ASTM D 97, which describes the procedure
for cooling an oil until it will not pour out of a vessel. Pour point,
flash point, VI, and other properties of 81 mineral oils are given
in Reference 7. Cloud point is defined as the temperature at which
a wax cloud first appears on cooling mineral oil under specified conditions.
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